A U.S. delegation led by the top White House and State Department officials for Asia is heading this week to the Solomon Islands, a South Pacific archipelago with fewer than 700,000 inhabitants that has unexpectedly become ground zero for U.S.-China competition.
Why it matters: A planned security agreement negotiated with Beijing, which could allow China's navy to dock warships on the islands, sent the U.S. and its allies in Australia and New Zealand into diplomatic hyperdrive.
- The U.S. officials heading to the islands will make the case that the U.S., not China, "can provide security, prosperity and peace for the region," an administration official told Axios.
Driving the news: According to a draft agreement that began circulating online last month, the Solomon Islands could request Chinese security forces to restore "social order." Once on the islands, they'd also have the authority to "protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects."
- Rumblings of a deal came just weeks after Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced in February that the U.S. would open an embassy in Honiara, the capital, to increase engagement with the islands, where there has been a fierce internal debate about relations with China.
- Senior U.S. officials have been placing calls to Honiara, and the State Department and Pentagon have issued warnings about the "export" of China's security forces and the "concerning precedent" for the region.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison dispatched a senior diplomat to the islands and described the pending deal as a "great concern," with New Zealand echoing that sentiment. ...
- Between the lines: The deal could both see Chinese naval vessels